Ukraine support and U.S. Caribbean strikes under scrutiny

As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, the leaders of Europe’s largest economies have affirmed they will continue to support Ukraine. This comes as peace talks have weakened amid clashing views over how to end the conflict.

Dr. Evelyn Farkas, Executive Director of the McCain Institute, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the United States’ involvement in recent foreign affairs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the main issues are territorial, Dr. Farkas said. U.S. and Ukrainian leaders met in Miami, Florida, to negotiate a peace process, but no agreement was reached. President Donald Trump has criticized President Zelenskyy for “not reading the peace proposal,” but it’s unclear which proposal he means.

“We have heard a lot of talk about what kind of territory Ukraine might be willing to forfeit either temporarily or permanently,” Dr. Farkas said. “The biggest sticking point really has been what kind of security guarantee the United States, Europe, the world can give you at the end of this war.”

Dr. Farkas said frustration has grown over the recent boat strikes in the Caribbean. On Sept. 2, 2026, the U.S. military conducted several strikes against an alleged drug boat off the Venezuelan coast. A second strike on crew members who had survived the initial attack prompted criticism that the Trump Administration had killed people who were no longer dangerous.

“This is the issue with what’s happening with Venezuela, is that our government isn’t telling us what their objective is and what their doing in the name of the U.S. people and with our tax dollars,” Dr. Farkas said. “I think it’s high time that the administration told the American people what their doing.”

Dr. Farkas said U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has stated the U.S. Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense, is reviewing the video of the strikes to determine whether it will be released to the public. In recent days, the attack and the decisions that led to it have come under scrutiny by lawmakers, with some urging that the footage be made public.

Dr. Farkas said Democrats and some Republicans have grown frustrated with President Trump and his administration because the boat strikes in the Caribbean were conducted without congressional approval.